Stakna Monastery- a picture perfect wonderland

If there was one photograph that was etched in my memory of Ladakh even before visiting it was that of Stakna Monastery. Soon after the first glimpse, I had looked up for information and various other photographs about the monastery and it seemed to have emerged from a wonderland.

I got the first glimpse of the stunning monastery on our way to Pangong. Sadly, our 'not so friendly' driver had brushed us aside saying that would be our stop on our way back from Pangong. And I knew that would be only after two days. Cursing him, I had only wished that I wouldn't miss seeing the beauty of monastery as well as that of Indus river which makes it a popular view point for tourists.

To my utter dismay, on the way back from Pangong the weather turned so bad that it was extremely cloudy at one end and snowy on the other! It even drizzled at few places. I was convinced that the moment I was waiting for wouldn't be the same. Surprisingly, as we approached the vicinity of the monastery the clouds cleared, the drizzling stopped and there was the brilliance of sunshine ahead of us! My joy had no limits. I then realized, because of the rain and the sunshine that followed the whole area was illuminated as if emerging from a magical land. The slow moving water of Indus, the autumn colors on the Poplar trees stood out in that light. As we stepped out of the car, we witnessed a rainbow right next to the monastery. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. 

The following photographs do no justice to equal its beauty but am sure they will take your breath away. 

 View of the monastery from across the view point

The sky after the rain...can you spot the monastery?

A closer look at the monastery

P.S. Ignore the zip line rope that runs across in each photograph. It's just an example how natural beauty can be ruined in the name of tourism.

Unfortunately, we did not visit the monastery from inside but I did not feel it was necessary too. The view that I had encountered had given me enough satisfaction.

Some quick Facts about Stakna Monastery:

- It is about 25 kms from Leh city.

-It was founded in the 16th century by a Bhutanese scholar Chosje Jamyang Palkar.

-Stakna literally means 'a tiger's nose'. Since it was built on a hill that shaped like a tiger's nose, it was named so.

Thiksey Monastery

Visiting numerous monasteries for almost 10 days that we spent in Ladakh hadn't brought down our spirit to look at one more on the last day; each and every 'Gompa' beckoned us with something different in its store. Every monastery in Ladakh has various forms of Buddha depicted in them- Maitreya, Avalokiteshwar, Sakyamuni and so on. The shades of red, white and ochre painted on each quarters of the monasteries appealed to us every time we looked at a cliff from which they literally 'hung'. It was like the cliffs wanted to disrobe themselves of their barren cloaks and wanted to be painted in colours so there came up a monastery but with as much simplicity as possible. But Thiksey cannot be termed simple; it is grand. It is grand in scale-it is one of the largest monasteries in Ladakh and it is grand in its beauty- the colourful mural arts with contrasting pillars and paintings are proof of it. The drive to the top of the hill where it is located is an example of it's grandeur. Situated at an altitude of 11,800 feet with 12 storied structures cannot be called 'simple'. 

Thiksey Monastery view

Mural paintings on the wall

Colourful walls and pillars

This picture-postcard perfect monastery was founded by the Gelupka sect in 15th century and built under the guidance of Tsongkhapa by his disciple Sherab Sangpo. Overlooking the vast Indus valley, Thikey is called as 'Mini Potala' as it resembles the Potala palace in Tibet. The main attraction of this 'Gompa' is the 49 feet (covers two stories) Maitreya Buddha statue built in 1970 to commemorate the visit of Dalai Lama to this monastery. 

According to popular legend, Sherab Sangpo along with his disciple Paden Zangpo was performing a ritual by offering 'torma' (made with flour and butter) when a crow grabbed the torma and flew away. After searching, they found the torma at a hill but in same order and not consumed by the crow. This was considered auspicious and they decided to build the monastery on the exact location. Thiksey means 'perfect order', in accordance with the order in which the crow had placed the torma.

The huge prayer wheel

Smaller prayer wheels on the way

Ascending the monasteries in Ladakh is a breathtaking experience- in two ways. Breathtaking it is because of the landscape that you get to experience as you go up and breathtaking it is also because you literally have to stop ofttimes  to catch your breath! Each time we climbed one flight of stairs, we would stop to take few minutes to enjoy the view and catch up with some air too. There is a new dimension added to the beauty of colourful poplar trees of autumn against the clear blue skies and snow capped mountain ranges at every corner of the monastery. 

The main attraction of the monastery is the Maitreya Buddha statue built in 1970. It took four years for the craftsmen to build the statue that stands at a height of 49 feet covering two stories (we get to see only face of the Buddha as entry is denied for the first storey). The statue is made of clay and copper and painted with gold. The interiors of the hall are completely filled with mural paintings depicting life events of Buddha. A quiet peace filled our hearts as we entered the Statue hall and the tiny window in front of the statue filled our eyes with awe-inspiring landscape. 

Maitreya Buddha statue

Window of happiness

No sooner had we come out of the Buddha statue hall than we entered another hall where there was plenty of Ladakhi 'butter tea' offered to all the visitors. The butter tea had failed to impress me all those 10 days and I knew this day would be no different but my husband had acquired the taste for it and wasn't ready to miss a cup or two. 

There are two main temples in Thiksey- the Tara temple and Lomakhang temple. Tara (also known as 'Mother of Liberation') is an important figure in Mahayana Buddhism who is appears as a female Bodhisattva. There are 12 images of Tara placed in wooden shelves in this temple.

Lamokhang temple is repository of scriptures where only men are allowed. 

View from the topmost point of the monastery

The mountains and the poplar trees

The more higher we went up the monastery, the beauty of the monastery looked miniscule as the overlooking landscapes took its place. Every corner gives a stunning panoramic view of the mountain ranges with patches of green and yellow poplar trees. And, we had decided to absorb all the beauty in our eyes and hearts leisurely as it was our last day of our trip!

Ruins of Basgo Monastery in Ladakh

While I was still trying to absorb the stunning beauty of clear blue skies, barren brown mountains with patches of green pastures and gushing turquoise waters of Indus river in Ladakh, I visited the Basgo Monastery or the Basgo Castle/Palace.

Situated at distance of just 40 kms from Leh city, Basgo monastery gives the impression of a part of history holding and hanging down the crumbling walls and cliffs of the surrounding landscape. It's difficult to distinguish between the landscape and the walls of the monastery as it gives the impression that the monastery is trying to camouflage its' ruined state with the landscape.

View of Basgo Palace/ Monastery from the highway...

Chamba Lhakhang, highest point in Basgo

Built atop a hill in 15th century, it was declared one of the 100 endangered world monuments by UNESCO in the year 2000. Due to its' strategic location, it was built to stop the constant attack by Muslim rulers. Back then, there were two important rulers who ruled over the Northern and Southern Ladakh- King Takbumde and King Takpabum who passed over Basgo among each other as a treaty. Later, the original king of Basgo fought back the kingdom and his descendants Dharmaraj Jamayang Namgyal and Dharmaraj Singay Namgyal built the Basgo monstery and castle.

Landscape around the  monastery...

Ruined walls in the midst of mountains...

The excitement of having visited a unique land made me wander around the deserted monastery. None of the three temple doors were open though I had followed the entry ticket counter searching for someone to provide the ticket. The altitude, the narrow alleys and the steps kept me gasping for breath even as I put forth slower than usual paces. The only sounds were that of our (my family) excited voices and rustle of the wind. Though my heart longed to see the massive Maitreya Buddha idol that is believed to be situated in one of the temples, I had to pacify myself and spend time basking around the palace with stunning views.

Steps leading to temple

Chamba temple

Ladakh Diaries- Secret Lakes that are a class apart from Pangong Tso and Tso Moriri

The coldest night of our trip had baffled us in Pangong. With the temperature dropping down to -6 and no heater in the room had made our night's sleep almost impossible. Neither had we enjoyed the beauty of the lake completely the previous evening because of the cool wind. We had woken up with dreary eyes for some hot breakfast and loads of sunshine. That really helped us in moving forward.

First glimpse of Pangong Tso

Motorists photographing after their successful journey...

It was a very long journey- Pangong lake to Tso Moriri, about 300 odd kilometers with passes and more lakes to witness on our way. We had packed our extra meals owing to the remoteness of the route. Driving along the lake side we witnessed new colours and views of the lake which we earlier thought had never existed. From deep blue to turquoise green and sky blue, the shades never seemed to end. We had driven the whole length of 35 kms of the lake (which seemed never ending) that lies in the Indian border. Rest of it- about 100 kms is part of China.

The view that we woke up to in Pangong...

Pangong in the morning

Another view of the lake in the morning...

Another picture before we say Good bye!

Being a saline water lake, Pangong doesn't support any aquatic life. The occasional visitors are the migratory birds such as Bar Headed Geese and the Brahmi Duck. We did spot them on this stretch. When the sight of the lake was fading from our vision, there were the 'Umbu' shrubs that became visible. Their myriad colours ranging from deep red to yellow to orange was a stunning scene against the backdrop of the brown shades of high mountains.

A short stop that we had taken at Chusul to refresh ourselves with 'Lemon, Ginger, Honey' tea prepared us for the difficult terrain that was soon to follow. Happily grazing 'Pashmina sheep' were our part of adventure in a vast valley that we had hit later. They were different from the regular sheep with more silky and straightened hair and curly horns. After a thorough permit check at the check post we had started climbing up a 'pass'. Every hairpin curve we crossed, we were compelled to stop and take picture.

Pashmina sheep

Can you spot Pangong tso at the far end?

The entire stretch lay ahead of us, unperturbed by any human activity, with just one vehicle in sight.  This route to reach Tso Moriri through the Changthang valley is considered as one of the most beautiful and scenic in Leh. Even before we had descended the pass (Kaksang La), we were thrown open to a lake with Yale blue shade and a range of mountains behind it that resembled the colour of dark chocolate. The first glimpse of the lake took our breath away! At once I thought I had landed in Iceland having seen its' pictures on Instagram. But Yes! it's in India and it's for real. The stunning beauty of the lake may be very inviting but it's very difficult to venture out to go near the lake. The area is completely desolated and no roads lead to the lake. The only way is through a hike. And, do not be fooled by the picture that may give an impression that lake is accessible but from the road there is a deep drop. Turning back looking at the lake again and again was quite obvious as we moved ahead and started feeling the cool winds of snow clad mountains nearing us.

The secret lake...

Another view

A bumpy road that we had taken so far now bore a new look with fresh tarmac slicing the brown mountain tracks. The zig-zag patterns of the curves lead us to another beautiful lake called the Yaye Tso. A freshwater lake in the shape of an apple, Yaye Tso is a marshland visited only occasionally by yaks, sheep and horses. The dried yellow marshes around the lake makes it more picturesque. Though the lake accessible, it is a marshy area(and dangers of quick sand) so you never know where it's going to pull you down. Located in Hora La ('La' meaning 'pass'), this lake is no less beautiful than the others.

Yaye tso

Moving ahead we had driven along Indus river to reach another check post at Mahe and a small bridge. Next what welcomed us were the 'Umbu' shrubs again in various hues of red and orange that accompanied us for 2-3 kms. That's when we had reached our fourth lake of that day- Tso Kiagar. Drizzle of snow-clung mountains at the backdrop and the turquoise waters with yellow marshy area all around it makes it look serene. We see couple of horses grazing here that added to the beauty of my photographs. Blue sky, brown mountains, turquoise waters, yellow marsh! What more could we ask for, it was all there. And, that's where we had spotted a solo motorist snaking away- the second vehicle that we had spotted in this entire journey. So, it was just us and mountains throughout!

Tso Kiagar

By then, we had realized reaching the destination mattered little. We had seen such beautiful landscapes during the journey that reaching Tso Moriri was just for the sake of a place to stay. No sooner had we moved from the lake than we hit the plains of gigantic proportions. Everywhere we laid our eyes on there were just yellow coloured plains. We had gotten down from the car and had kept on circling around to take in the elated feeling we felt.

First look of Tso Moriri...

A closer look

View from our room

Tso Moriri in the morning

Tso Moriri was very near then. The lake looked prettier from a distance, as we approached the beauty seemed to have faded. Not that it wasn't beautiful but by then we had lot many lakes to compare it with. Again the evening cool wind had started its' trick not letting us spend quality time near the shore. We weren't disappointed either. We had gotten more than what we had asked for in this journey- less than 12 hours, memories of 5 beautiful lakes to hold on for a lifetime.

P.S. Picture credits to Mr. Hubby too!